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  3. GPT-5 mini vs Yi-Lightning

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026

GPT-5 mini vs Yi-Lightning benchmark

This page compares GPT-5 mini (OpenAI) and Yi-Lightning (01.AI) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, Yi-Lightning is ahead by 65 points (1,475 vs 1,410; seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, Yi-Lightning resolves 63.4% versus 52.4% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). GPT-5 mini streams faster (155 tok/s) while Yi-Lightning is the cheaper output token ($0.14/1M). GPT-5 mini has the larger context window (400k tokens). Every cell below is a dated snapshot from a named public source — we do not invent missing scores, and we do not run SWE-bench ourselves.

Quick answer

GPT-5 mini vs Yi-Lightning is a dated snapshot, not a lab score. Yi-Lightning leads preference Elo (1,475 vs 1,410). Yi-Lightning leads SWE-bench coding. Yi-Lightning is the cheaper output token. Elo is crowd preference, not an exam. Pick the column that matches the job.
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OpenAI

GPT-5 mini

Cost-efficient GPT-5 distill for high-volume agents.

Elo 1,410$2/1M out

01.AI

Yi-Lightning

01.AI ultra-fast reasoning model delivering top LiveBench efficiency.

Elo 1,475$0.14/1M out

Swap or Add Any Model to this Matchup

Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs

Model A
Model B
Quick vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs Claude Opus 4.6vs Claude Sonnet 4.5vs Claude 3.7 Sonnet

Interactive Comparison Diagram

Matchup Breakdown

Tug-of-War Matchup Matrix

Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.

GPT-5 mini (3)vsYi-Lightning (7)
GPT-5 mini: 3W (30%)Overall: Yi-LightningYi-Lightning: 7W (70%)
← GPT-5 miniYi-Lightning →
Yi-Lightning (5/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy

Preference Elo
1,410vs1,475
Coding Elo
1,395vs1,480
SWE-bench
52.4%vs63.4%
LiveBench
61.2%vs65%
GPQA Diamond
72%vs78%
GPT-5 mini: 0WYi-Lightning: 5W
GPT-5 mini (2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Output speed
155 tok/svs130 tok/s
Time to first token
140 msvs150 ms
GPT-5 mini: 2WYi-Lightning: 0W
Yi-Lightning (2/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Output price
$2/1Mvs$0.14/1M
Input price
$0.25/1Mvs$0.14/1M
Context window
400kvs16k
GPT-5 mini: 1WYi-Lightning: 2W
Capability Matchup Radar

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Dimensional AdvantageYi-Lightning 4/6
Preference Elo

Yi-Lightning

65 pts advantage

Throughput Speed

GPT-5 mini

25 tok/s faster

Price Efficiency

Yi-Lightning

$1.86/1M cheaper

Full Benchmark Score Matrix

—
Elo
High is better
1,410
EloHigh is better
1,475+5%
Code Elo
High is better
1,395
Code EloHigh is better
1,480+6%
LiveBench
High is better
61.2%
LiveBenchHigh is better
65%+6%
SWE-bench
High is better
52.4%
SWE-benchHigh is better
63.4%+21%
GPQA
High is better
72%
GPQAHigh is better
78%+8%
TTFT
Low is better
+7%140 ms
TTFTLow is better
150 ms
Speed
High is better
+19%155 tok/s
SpeedHigh is better
130 tok/s
In $
Low is better
$0.25/1M
In $Low is better
$0.14/1M+79%
Out $
Low is better
$2/1M
Out $Low is better
$0.14/1M+1329%
Context
High is better
+2341%400k
ContextHigh is better
16k
Interactive Simulator

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.

Save up to 82% with Yi-Lightning
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
GPT-5 mini$38.75 / mo
In: $8.75Out: $30.00
Yi-Lightning$7.00 / mo
In: $4.90Out: $2.10
Estimated Cost Delta

Yi-Lightning is estimated to save $31.75/month ($381/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    Yi-Lightning:Pick Yi-Lightning when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    GPT-5 mini:Pick GPT-5 mini when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.
  • 3
    Yi-Lightning:Pick Yi-Lightning as the default general assistant.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsYi-Lightning

Higher SWE-bench (63.4%).

High-volume chatYi-Lightning

Lower output list price ($0.14/1M).

Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5 mini

Lower TTFT (140 ms).

Long-document RAGGPT-5 mini

Larger window (400k).

Screenshots / visionGPT-5 mini

GPT-5 mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsYi-LightningHigher SWE-bench (63.4%).
High-volume chatYi-LightningLower output list price ($0.14/1M).
Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5 miniLower TTFT (140 ms).
Long-document RAGGPT-5 miniLarger window (400k).
Screenshots / visionGPT-5 miniGPT-5 mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
launchAug 8, 2025

GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

High-volume agents that cannot pay Sol. Compare to Luna before you assume the new cheap SKU wins.

Community Sentiment

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CompareLLM Matrix

Verified head-to-head card

LIVE
VS
OpenAI

GPT-5 mini

Elo 1,410
LiveBench61.2%
SWE-bench52.4%
Speed155 tok/s
Output cost$2/1M
01.AI

Yi-Lightning

Elo 1,475
LiveBench65%
SWE-bench63.4%
Speed130 tok/s
Output cost$0.14/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, GPT-5 mini or Yi-Lightning?
Yi-Lightning has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,475). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, GPT-5 mini or Yi-Lightning?
Yi-Lightning leads SWE-bench at 63.4% vs 52.4%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
Yi-Lightning output tokens are $0.14/1M versus $2/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, GPT-5 mini or Yi-Lightning?
GPT-5 mini has the lower time-to-first-token (140 ms vs 150 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5 mini accepts 400k tokens versus 16k.
Can I self-host either model?
Neither model is marked open-weights here. You are comparing hosted APIs.
Are these scores from CompareLLM’s own evals?
No. V1 aggregates public leaderboards (and optional first-party latency pings). Each cell names its source and date. Read /methodology.
What does preference Elo mean on this page?
Preference Elo is a crowd vote from LMArena / Arena. People see two hidden answers and pick the one they like more. The model that wins more often gets a higher Elo. That means people preferred it — not that it passed a school test. It is not SWE-bench, not accuracy, and not a number we invent. GPT-5 mini and Yi-Lightning Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • launch · Aug 8, 2025

    GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All GPT-5 mini matchups →|All Yi-Lightning matchups →
GPT-5 mini vs OpenAI: o3 Mini (previous gpt-mini)GPT-5 mini vs GPT-5.6 Luna (next gpt-mini)Yi-Lightning vs Yi-Large (previous other)Yi-Lightning vs Ernie 4.5 Turbo (next other)GPT-4.5 Orion vs Yi-LightningGPT-5.6 Terra vs Yi-Lightning